5-Day Turkey Holiday Package from Istanbul: Ephesus to Cappadocia

Meals: lunch. Transfers included.

04:00 - Pick-up from your Istanbul hotel and transfer to the airport.

07:00 - Flight from Istanbul to Izmir (flight time may change).

08:10 - Landing at Izmir Airport (arrival airport and time may change according to availability). You then drive to the Ephesus area to start the first guided day.

• Ephesus Ancient City – late in the afternoon, as the sun sinks towards the Aegean, long shadows fall across the marble columns and the stone glows a warm orange. Many people who arrive mid-morning end up staying longer than planned, drawn from one monument to the next. Comfortable walking shoes and a good guide are the two things that matter most.
• House of Virgin Mary – Christian tradition says Mary came to this mountain near Ephesus with the Apostle John after the Crucifixion. The Catholic Church has recognised the link since the late 19th century, and mass is still celebrated in the small chapel, so this is a living place of worship as well as a historic one.
• Temple of Artemis – Artemis, goddess of the hunt, the moon and childbirth, was among the most widely worshipped deities of the Greek world, and her temple here was the grandest expression of that devotion. It was more than a shrine: it also served as a bank, a market and a meeting place for the whole region, which changes how you see the single column still standing near Selcuk.

16:00 - Transfer to your Kusadasi/Selcuk hotel after the tour. Overnight in Kusadasi/Selcuk.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

08:00 - After breakfast, leave Kusadasi or Selcuk for Pamukkale.

• Pamukkale – from the bottom of the slope, the hillside looks painted white rather than made of rock. Warm springs have been laying down calcium carbonate here for more than two thousand years, and the resulting terraces, together with the Greco-Roman ruins above, earned UNESCO World Heritage status.
• White Calcium Terraces – the water is so rich in calcium carbonate that thin crusts form on leaves and twigs left in the flow within a few days. Over millennia the same process built the wide white terraces. Walking barefoot with warm water around your ankles and ruins overhead is like stepping into a geology book.
• Hierapolis Ancient City – founded by the Attalid kings of Pergamon in the 2nd century BC, it later passed peacefully into the Roman Empire. Under Rome it grew considerably, gaining the theatre, baths and colonnaded streets you see today. The Byzantines added a cathedral and city walls, and parts of these still stand at the southern entrance to the site.
• Cleopatra Antique Thermal Pool – tucked into a corner of the ruins, its warm water and sunken columns attract visitors who want more than a walk. The water is 36 degrees and carries the same calcium-rich minerals that formed the terraces below. Entry is not part of the tour price and is paid on site.

16:00 - Transfer to your hotel in Pamukkale. Overnight in Pamukkale.

Meals: breakfast. Transfers included.

This is a transfer day only, without a tour guide. If you would like one for this route, we can arrange it for an extra fee.

After breakfast you set off by road from Pamukkale towards Cappadocia, a drive of about 10 hours in total.

A break is planned in central Konya for your personal needs. You are free to visit the Mevlana Museum on your own and have lunch independently, before the drive continues to Cappadocia.

On arrival, check in at your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

Optional early-morning add-ons: a hot air balloon flight, the top-rated and most booked Cappadocia experience, with classic sunrise views; or a balloon watching tour that guarantees the best viewpoints for sunrise photos. Either can be added at the best available price when you book.

09:30 - Pick-up from your Cappadocia hotel for the northern route.

• Devrent Valley (Imagination Valley) – on the northern part of the Red Tour, this valley is a natural first look at the volcanic landscape, and its animal-shaped fairy chimneys make it one of the most playful stops in Cappadocia.
• Pasabag Open Air Museum – seeing the carved windows from outside, the appeal of cave life is easy to grasp: thick rock walls insulate in summer and winter, keeping these cells cooler than a tent and warmer than any wooden building of the time.
• Avanos Pottery Workshop – buying a piece here and taking it home directly supports the craft, helping keep artisan skills viable where tourism could easily swap real work for souvenirs. Workshops that also sell everyday pieces to Turkish families are the ones most worth your time.
• Goreme Panoramic View – balloons lift off from the Goreme valley before dawn, and on flying days you can watch dozens drifting over the chimneys at different heights, one of the most photographed scenes in Turkey.
• Zelve Open Air Museum – great for both wide shots and close-ups: the layered cave openings make a broad frame, while single doorways and worn stone tell their own story up close.
• Uchisar Castle (exterior view) – from the foot of the rock, the carved windows near the top look tiny, giving a sense of its real height that photos from the viewing terrace miss. Walk closer before taking the wider shots.

17:00 - Transfer back to your hotel. Overnight in Cappadocia.

Meals: breakfast and lunch. Transfers included.

09:30 - Hotel pick-up for the final Cappadocia tour.

• Red Valley – inside the valley the light behaves differently than on the open plateau, slipping between tall rock columns and laying long geometric shadows on the path. Photographers who know light come mid-morning, when shadows are crisp and the rock's warm tones are at their richest.
• Rose Valley (Gulludere Valley) – local guides call it the most consistently beautiful canyon in the region for its mix of natural colour and carved heritage, and repeat visitors often return specifically for it, naming it the part of earlier trips they remember most clearly.
• Cavusin Village – recent stabilisation work has secured parts of the cliff and improved the paths through the upper village without changing its raw character. Anyone who came a decade ago will notice that different areas are now open, the result of balancing heritage protection with visitor safety.
• Pigeon Valley – a dramatic canyon running between Uchisar and Goreme, with sheer walls rising steeply over a trail along its floor. Looking up, you can count hundreds of carved pigeon-house openings in rough rows at every reachable height.
• Underground City – wells and water collection points let residents reach fresh water without going above ground, vital during a siege. Some wells tapped natural aquifers deep in the volcanic bedrock, giving a supply that did not depend on rain or rivers.

17:00 - Transfer to the airport after the tour.

19:30 - Flight from Cappadocia to Istanbul (flight time may change).

20:50 - Landing at Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport (arrival airport and time may change according to availability). The tour ends at the arrival airport; tell us if you would like an extra transfer after the flight.